Apple orchards anticipate bad season

MOORESVILLE, Ind - This year could be one of the worst apple-producing seasons central Indiana has had in a century, at least one orchard owner believes.

Some orchards lost 50 to 90 percent of their crop this year, 9 News Scripps Sister Station WRTV's Chance Walser reported.

Fall picking is a tradition for many families, but the supply is severely diminished at many orchards this year.

Anderson Orchard in Mooresville is expected about half its usual crop because a warm spring caused an early bloom, but temperatures dropped two days in April.

"It got down to 26, 27 degrees, and that's just way too cold for blooms to take," said owner Robin Anderson. "That's when we lost I'd say about 50 percent of our crop."

For other orchards, the situation is worse. The owner of Tuttle Orchard in Greenfield expects to take a 75 percent loss this year and has canceled public picking.

There just aren't enough apples out there to really make it worthwhile for folks to go out there and have to walk a long way and only find a few apples," said owner Tom Tuttle.

There are still apples for sale at Tuttle's store, but those were brought in from northern Indiana and Michigan.

Tuttle said the loss is worse than he has seen.

"I haven't talked to anyone in the business who remembers a year like this," Tuttle said.

Orchards are still encouraging customers to come out for hay rides and other seasonal activities.